Deliberate Sin

Read Hebrews 10:26-29 Is this scripture telling us that if a Christians sins, that there is no hope for us? Note what these verses describe as the ‘deliberate sin’ for which there is ‘no more sacrifice”:

– It is described as a continuing action (keeps on sinning)
– It is compared to a rejection of Moses’ law
– It is said to be trampling the Son of God underfoot
– It is treating the blood of the covenant as an unholy thing
– It is insulting the spirit of grace

In life, nearly all sins are deliberate – we know what we should do or not do, but for some reason end up violating what we should have done. Even the apostle Paul struggled with this – Rom 7:15 “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” And what about the failures of Peter? Jesus had told him to be on guard, that he would deny Him three times, but when confronted at the home of the High Priest, Peter did exactly what Jesus knew he would do, even denying Jesus with an oath (Matt 26:70-72). Surely this was done deliberately – is this the kind of thing the Hebrew writer was referring to?

We often find ourselves, like Peter, scared and weak and in a hard place – under pressure we give in even though we know better – it was deliberate. But this is not what the Hebrew writer is speaking about. The passage in Heb 10:26 is referring to one who has chosen to turn his back on Jesus and continues to do so as his regular style of life. It is not referring to one act, but to a continuing pattern of disobedience. When one rejects Christ and His sacrifice, there is no other way for the person to be saved. Acts 4:12, John 14:6

When a person who was once a Christian turns back into the world and rejects God’s way – there is no more sacrifice to cover his sins. The blood of Jesus provides cleaning for those whose walk is ‘in the light’ – 1John 1:6-7 “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” Now what does “walk in the light” mean? Does it mean that we never sin or fail? The very next verse says – 1John 1:8-9, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

What the Lord demands is that we confess our failures, ask for His forgiveness, and get back in the light of His word. It is when we refuse to repent, refuse to return, and go our own way that we are guilty of the deliberate sin of Heb 10:26. This is the same warning that is given by Peter in 2 Pet 2:20-22.